Baye Moussa Keita came out for pregame warmups on Saturday night. He wore a sleek brace on his sprained right knee. He took some shots, he worked the layup line with his fellow forwards and centers. But when the game tipped vs. North Carolina State in the Carrier Dome, Keita was once again a spectator.

For the second straight game, Syracuse's senior center sat with a sore knee.

"If it came down to it, I could have gone out there," Keita said. "I ran for a little bit yesterday in practice. I felt good going up and down and getting back my breathing. And getting used to the brace: I have to wear it for the rest of the season and I have to get used to it, learn how to move with it. It's going to be a little bit weird — that's what the doctor told me."

Keita said he's had permission the past two days before the State game to pedal the stationary bicycle, to work on the stairmaster and the elliptical machines. He has been "careful," he said, to only attempt what SU athletic trainer Brad Pike said could safely be achieved.